Published: Saturday, January 5, 2013 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, January 5, 2013 at 12:04 a.m.

A new fire station in a Thibodaux subdivision will serve area residents, the local hospital and Nicholls State University, a donor of the property said.

The founders of Acadia Plantation donated 1.5 acres of land at 116 S. Acadia Road Friday for a station the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department has been planning for years.

“It's easy from that corner (at Acadia and Percy Brown roads) to service neighborhoods in their area, plus the hospital, plus Nicholls. It's not only to enhance our own division,” said Jake Giardina, who donated the land with his business partner Ronald Adams. The same men leased land located diagonal to the future station to the soon-to-be-complete Bayou Country Children's Museum for a dollar a year for 40 years.

“I think Ron and I have been fortunate in life, and this is a chance to give something back to the community,” Giardina said.

The station, which will be the department's 10th in the city, must be built to stay in compliance with insurance regulations as Acadia Plantation expands, said Fire Chief Randy Pate.

The closest stations to the subdivision are on Tetreau Street and Lafaye Avenue, Pate said. The department is volunteer-run, so firefighters respond to fires from all over the city and can drive any truck to the scene.

Still, the new station will be closer to the subdivision, the hospital and Nicholls' new recreation center, so “it should improve response times,” Pate said.

Giardina said he and Adams approached the fire department in 2006 about donating the land.

Pate said he hopes to begin the public bid process for contractors in the next six to eight months and to break ground possibly by the end of the year.

Giardina and Adams' contract only stipulates that the department build the station in the next five years.

That won't be a problem, fire officials said.

The station will be an operations center as well as a place to house fire trucks, Pate said. He plans for it to have an exercise room and board room so the department's central station at Hickory Street and Parish Road can be primarily for training.

The land is valued at $463,500, according to the contract drawn up between the department and the founders' company, Jaron Land Development Co. LLC.

The building is estimated to cost about $1.5 million, Pate said. Fire officials plan to pay for it with a combination of tax dollars and money raised from Firemen's Fairs, Pate said.

Thibodaux-based Weimer, Gros, Flores LLC Architecture and Interior Design is in charge of the building's design, he said. Giardina and Adams have a final say on the station's outside aesthetics.

Staff Writer Katie Urbaszewski can be reached at 448-7617 or katie.urbaszewski@dailycomet.com.

<p>A new fire station in a Thibodaux subdivision will serve area residents, the local hospital and Nicholls State University, a donor of the property said.</p><p>The founders of Acadia Plantation donated 1.5 acres of land at 116 S. Acadia Road Friday for a station the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department has been planning for years.</p><p>“It's easy from that corner (at Acadia and Percy Brown roads) to service neighborhoods in their area, plus the hospital, plus Nicholls. It's not only to enhance our own division,” said Jake Giardina, who donated the land with his business partner Ronald Adams. The same men leased land located diagonal to the future station to the soon-to-be-complete Bayou Country Children's Museum for a dollar a year for 40 years.</p><p>“I think Ron and I have been fortunate in life, and this is a chance to give something back to the community,” Giardina said.</p><p>The station, which will be the department's 10th in the city, must be built to stay in compliance with insurance regulations as Acadia Plantation expands, said Fire Chief Randy Pate.</p><p>The closest stations to the subdivision are on Tetreau Street and Lafaye Avenue, Pate said. The department is volunteer-run, so firefighters respond to fires from all over the city and can drive any truck to the scene. </p><p>Still, the new station will be closer to the subdivision, the hospital and Nicholls' new recreation center, so “it should improve response times,” Pate said.</p><p>Giardina said he and Adams approached the fire department in 2006 about donating the land.</p><p>Pate said he hopes to begin the public bid process for contractors in the next six to eight months and to break ground possibly by the end of the year.</p><p>Giardina and Adams' contract only stipulates that the department build the station in the next five years.</p><p>That won't be a problem, fire officials said.</p><p>The station will be an operations center as well as a place to house fire trucks, Pate said. He plans for it to have an exercise room and board room so the department's central station at Hickory Street and Parish Road can be primarily for training.</p><p>The land is valued at $463,500, according to the contract drawn up between the department and the founders' company, Jaron Land Development Co. LLC.</p><p>The building is estimated to cost about $1.5 million, Pate said. Fire officials plan to pay for it with a combination of tax dollars and money raised from Firemen's Fairs, Pate said.</p><p>Thibodaux-based Weimer, Gros, Flores LLC Architecture and Interior Design is in charge of the building's design, he said. Giardina and Adams have a final say on the station's outside aesthetics.</p><p>Staff Writer Katie Urbaszewski can be reached at 448-7617 or katie.urbaszewski@dailycomet.com.</p>